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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22777231">Truth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScytheAnastasia/pseuds/ScytheAnastasia'>ScytheAnastasia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Aris has secrets, Comfort, Death, Depressed Newt, F/M, Flashbacks, I'm Sorry, Kissing, Lies, Minho has secrets, Newt Has Secrets, Nightmares, No Smut, Sad Ending, Secrets, Sonya and Lizzy are different people, Teresa has secrets, Trust Issues, anger issues, fast paced</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:07:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,727</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22777231</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScytheAnastasia/pseuds/ScytheAnastasia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The boy who cried was the one who tried.</p><p>He had to fight the most to survive.</p><p>He seemed so fine but hid the truth.</p><p>The friend that lied.</p><p>The love that died.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s), Teresa Agnes/Newt (Maze Runner)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my very first fanfiction! I know that Newt/Teresa isn't being shipped by many people, and to be honest, I don't ship it either. I've changed up their personalities a little bit so they can work better together. The story is very fast-paced, yet it will be pretty long. About 10-12 chapters, probably. I will warn you that I might be slow on updating, but  please don't give up on this story and please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re new, aren’t you?” Newt nearly screamed. He hadn’t expected to be called upon on his first day. “Uh, yeah?”</p>
<p>“Great! I’ll show you around! I hope we have lots of classes! We can be project partners and locker buddies and you can sit with me and my friends at lunch and―” The boy paused, and chuckled to himself. “Sorry. I’m overloading you with information, aren't I?” Newt didn’t answer. It definitely was an information overload. He knew he needed to answer. But he also knew that these people were dangerous. The boy didn’t seem to mind his silence. “Look, I need to get to class, but I’ll see you later, alright?”</p>
<p>“But,” Newt said hastily, “I don’t even know your name.”</p>
<p>The boy laughed. “Stupid of me, not telling you.” He smirked. “I’m Minho.” He quickly looked at his wrist, and hissed. “Class is almost starting. See ya later.” He quickly turned and walked away towards the main building.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And I thought you were going to show me around, Minho.” Newt grumbled as he climbed up a set of stairs again. He wondered how many different sets of stairs were in this one building. There were at least 14. He’d counted.</p>
<p>“You lost?” Again Newt almost screamed. He turned, this time finding a dark haired boy. “I guess so,” he replied, not meeting the boy’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Okay,” the boy said, “I’ll show you where to go. What major are you? You don’t seem like the sporty type.” Newt blushed. That explained why the halls were decorated with trophies. “Art major,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“Cool,” the boy said, “Follow me.” He turned away and walked a few steps, then turned around. “I’m Thomas, by the way.”</p>
<p>“Newt.”</p>
<p>“That’s a cool name. It’s unusual. I like it.”</p>
<p>“Uh, thanks?’”</p>
<p>Thomas chuckled. “You’re welcome.” He began walking down the 15th different flight of stairs, and Newt was quick to follow. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’ll probably take most of your art courses in here,” Thomas said, stopping at the building labeled QUADRANT E4. “There’s a guy named Aris here, really nice, good friend. He’s probably in there right now, you might want to find him. Sandy hair, medium height, blue eyes. Got it?” Watching Newt nod, he smiled. “See ya later,” he said, and turned towards another building labeled QUADRANT E1. It made Newt wonder what major Thomas was, and if he was Minho’s friend. They were alike; approaching weird new guys, showing them around (or at least saying), and leaving with the same phrase.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Luckily, he found his class quickly. It was on the second floor, right next to the elevator. There weren’t many people inside. Even though he had spent so much time wandering, he was 10 minutes early.</p>
<p>The professor introduced herself as Ms. Harriet, and she rambled on about the equipment in the room and how the class worked. Newt tuned her out, scanning the room for a boy that fit Thomas’ description.</p>
<p>There, he thought, as a boy sitting alone in a corner caught his eye. Aris. He walked over when Ms. Harriet told him to take a seat. Aris didn’t even notice as he slid into a desk to his left. “Hey,” he whispered, and Aris jumped. “Hey. I’m Aris.”</p>
<p>“I know.” Aris seemed surprised. “Thomas told me about you.”</p>
<p>He cracked a smile. “He tells everyone.”</p>
<p>“He seems like an outgoing person.”</p>
<p>“He is.”</p>
<p>Newt glanced at Aris’ eisel. “Are you painting that flower pot?”</p>
<p>Aris blushed. “Yeah. I can’t get the shading though.”</p>
<p>“You could use a lighter shade of grey for your shadow. It could be a nice contrast to the darker yellow and orange you used for the texture of the vase. The flower’s shadow should be lighter than that, since it mixes with sunlight.”</p>
<p>“Wow.” Aris looked baffled. “How did you know?”</p>
<p>Newt shrugged. “Just 7 years of art classes.”</p>
<p>“Still. Thanks for the advice.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome.” Newt looked around. “So, what are we supposed to do here?”</p>
<p>“Nothing, really. We can pick a project and work on it. Ms. Harriet gives us advice, and gives us a grade depending on if we took the advice the right way. The only real project we have to do is the decorations for the school festivals, but that’s always easy.”</p>
<p>Are you a junior?”</p>
<p>“Nah, sophomore. But I did this last year, so consider me as experienced.”</p>
<p>“And we can do any project we want?”</p>
<p>Aris nodded. “Just as a warning, I’d start with an easy project. Ms. Harriet usually grades hard on the first thing we do.” He made a face and Newt laughed. He then wandered the large airy classroom, looking at previous projects and marveling at the quality material. He settled on a set of drawing pencils and a notepad, and began his sketch. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is that a wolf?” Newt looked up from his sketch of a nearby sculpture. “Yeah. Does it not look like it.”</p>
<p>“It looks wonderful.” Aris said.</p>
<p>“I’m not that good with living things. Humans and animals and stuff.”</p>
<p>“How can you say that! That wolf looks like it’s going to jump out of the paper!”</p>
<p>“You mean the wolf’s decapitated head.”</p>
<p>Aris laughed. “Anyway. We should get to lunch. I’ll show you the good spot.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, Aris! Over here!”</p>
<p>Newt saw a large group sitting in the garden. Aris walked over to them, and Newt followed. “Newt, this is―”</p>
<p>“Minho.” Minho grinned. “Glad you remembered. And your name is Newt? Interesting.”</p>
<p>“Newt!” He turned and saw Thomas run towards him, grinning. “Looks like you found him.”</p>
<p>“C’mon, let’s introduce you to the others!” Minho, said, and pulled Newt towards the throng of people.</p>
<p>“So let me introduce you to Rachel!” Minho pointed to a girl with amber hair and green eyes. “Hot, isn’t she?” He whispered in his ear.</p>
<p>“I heard that!” The girl, Rachel, stalked over to Minho and kicked him in the shins. “Sorry, this probably isn’t a good first impression, but this hunk of meat is being a twat.”</p>
<p>“Don’t say that.” Minho laughed and mussed her hair.</p>
<p>“Actually, he’s not being a twat, he’s always a twat.” Newt turned around, and was face to face with two girls. “Hey,” the shorter girl said, “I’m Brenda. And this is Teresa.” The tall blue eyed girl smiled. Brenda continued. “Hope we made a better impression than Rachel. We’re definitely nicer then her.” She then dropped her voice down low. “But insult my height, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”</p>
<p>“You’re short as a middle schooler!” Minho yelled. Brenda quickly turned towards him.</p>
<p>TWACK! Minho doubled over as Brenda’s leg hit him in the middle of his stomach. “Third time this week!” She hissed. “If you weren’t doing football, you’d be dead by now!”</p>
<p>Teresa turned to Newt. “Since you’re tour guide is out, I’ll continue.” She walked up to two boys having a deep conversation on a bench. “That is Sigge and Winston. Winston might look like a criminal, but he’s one of the nicest ones in our group. Winston harrumphed, and the other boy, Sigge, held his hand up. “Call me Fry.” He said. “And don’t judge. Just call me Fry.” Newt nodded, knowing what he meant. Well, he was the one named Newt.</p>
<p>“Who do you have here, T?” Both Newt and Teresa spun around and saw the tall muscular boy. “This is Galvar, my stepbrother. He’s a senior.” Teresa said. “We all call him Gally.”</p>
<p>“New boyfriend?” Gally asked after shaking Newt’s hand. Teresa snorted. “I told you I’m not going to date for another two years. I’m just showing Newt around, he’s new this year.”</p>
<p>Gally grunted an approval. “I’m heading home. Want pizza?”</p>
<p>“We’re going to Rachel’s tonight.” Gally grunted again, then stalked away.</p>
<p>“Speaking of which,” Teresa turned to Newt. “You should come to Rachel’s. Don’t worry, there won’t be that many people. Probably only the ones you met. I’ll take you there, if you want.” When Newt didn’t answer, she added, “It won’t be too crazy, I promise.” Newt nodded. “Great! We’ll see you later then!” She flounced away, and Newt went to find Thomas, for he had no idea where his next class was. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Newt!” He heard Teresa’s voice and marched towards her car. He slid into the back seat as Aris and Teresa greeted him. “Is it okay if I only brought brownies?”</p>
<p>“You brought food?” Aris said incredulously. New pulled out a container filled with a dozen chocolate squares.</p>
<p>“Ooh, those look good.” Teresa said. “And Aris, most people bring food to parties. We’re just weird and too dependent. And,” she added, “just so you know, Fry will likely judge those brownies. Prepare for serious grumblings about oven temperature and chocolate chips.”</p>
<p>“Got it,” Newt said, wringing his fingers. “Now can you please look forward when you’re driving?”</p>
<p>“Are you a safe driver?” Aris asked, and Newt nodded. “Then you should never let Minho drive. I warn you: don’t let Minho drive.” Newt nodded. By the actions the Asian took during lunch, he could guess how he drove. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fry definitely did judge his brownies. Luckily, the conversation wasn’t too long. Or, that's what Teresa said. To Newt, it was 10 minutes too long.</p>
<p>Rachel’s flat was small but cozy, decorated in shades of yellows and oranges, reminding Newt of an autumn forest. They all lounged on the couch or the floor, drinking and eating Fry’s food. In the middle, before anyone got too drunk, Minho suddenly stood up and started dragging Newt towards a different room. “C’mon Newt.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Time for the Interrogation.”</p>
<p>Newt caught Teresa’s eye right before he was out the door. “Good luck,” she mouthed. The words made Newt worry more than Teresa probably intended it to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the large gap! Pretty busy, you know? But basically in this chapter, Minho has Newt go through this thing called the "interrogation". It's not scary or anything, but intimidating people is Minho's favorite thing, you know? It's for learning more about Newt and his characterization, 'cause not all of the characters have the same personalities as the books and movies. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Don’t worry, you're not the first,” Minho said as he sat across from Newt in what he thought was Rachel’s bedroom. “I do it with every newbie. Winston. Fry. Brenda. Aris. You. Just to make sure none of you have bodies hidden under your bed.”</p>
<p>“Do I look like I would do that? Do any of us?” Newt snorted. “Maybe Winston, but….”</p>
<p>“Great! I’m gonna tell him that.” Minho said, then laughed. “Your face!” It was true. Newt relaxed his face, trying to figure out how much fear he had plastered on moments ago. “I thought we weren’t here to laugh about my face?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Minho said. He put on a pair of fake glasses and pulled out a notebook. “Don’t worry, just some basic questions about yourself.” </p>
<p>Newt snorted. "You look very professional. Especially with that sparkly gel pen."</p>
<p>“Shuck it. Name?”</p>
<p>“Newt.”</p>
<p>“Full name?”</p>
<p>“Newt Layton.”</p>
<p>“So Newt’s your real name?”</p>
<p>“Is that weird?”</p>
<p>“No. Just surprising. Age?”</p>
<p>“20.”</p>
<p>“Birthday?”</p>
<p>“June 5.”</p>
<p>“Major?”</p>
<p>“Art.”</p>
<p>“Sexuality?”</p>
<p>“Straight.”</p>
<p>“Diseases?”</p>
<p>“....No.”</p>
<p>“Siblings?”</p>
<p>“A sister.”</p>
<p>“Name?”</p>
<p>“Elizabeth Layton.”</p>
<p>“Any other friends?”</p>
<p>“Just you guys, I guess.”</p>
<p>“Relationships?”</p>
<p>“None.”</p>
<p>And so Minho went on for another 10 minutes, digging out everything he could from Newt. He wondered if Minho asked the same questions to everyone. Or if it varied. He wanted to peek into the notebook, to double check what he wrote. And maybe peek at other people.<br/>“Alright, you can go now!” Minho said. </p>
<p>“You sound like the police,” Newt noted. </p>
<p>“Dream job!” Minho announced proudly. “After I get into the Olympics, of course.”</p>
<p>“Okay, then….” Newt followed Minho back to the living room and sat on the couch, ignoring the questions about the interrogation, as they called it. Teresa sidled up to him and plopped herself on the couch. </p>
<p>“How was it?”</p>
<p>“Haven’t you done it?”</p>
<p>“I’ve known Minho since we were all born. He can trust me.”</p>
<p>“Somehow I can’t believe that.”</p>
<p>Teresa laughed. “You’re good at reading people.” Newt sighed. “I always liked to study the things around me. Like people.”</p>
<p>“Then I’m guessing you’ve figured most of us out already. We’re all pretty much an open book.” </p>
<p>“I’m not that good.”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh. It’s not like you guessed everyone’s majors right 15 minutes ago.”</p>
<p>“I guess that’s true.” They both sat awkwardly on the couch, until Thomas called them over for games. Newt stood up, but Teresa continued to sit. “Aren’t you coming?”</p>
<p>“He’ll eventually drag me in there. I’m stalling till the last moment.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Teresa gave him a mischievous grin. “You’ll find out soon enough.” She flopped on the couch sideways and stretched her long legs. “Oh, and Newt?” She called to him as he headed to the kitchen. “If you play Truth or Dare, never, at all costs, pick dare.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everyone was drunk by 11 o’clock. Teresa was dragged in by Brenda halfway through the karaoke battle. Everyone was stretched out in the living room, asleep or passed out. Everyone but Newt and Brenda, who both leaned against the balcony railing and stared at the glittering town square. “Not your kind of thing?” Brenda asked. Newt shook his head. “I never went to these kinds of parties back home. Strict parents. Homework. Not that much time for fun.”</p>
<p>“Hope you had fun then!” Brenda said. </p>
<p>“I did. Well, I didn’t expect you to have alcohol, but...”</p>
<p>“It’s the Americas, of course there’s alcohol.” </p>
<p>Newt turned back at the sleeping Teresa and Aris. “How am I going to get home?”</p>
<p>“I’ll drive you.” Brenda said, pulling out her keys. “It’s fine, I won’t kidnap you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Newt sat on his bed and stared at the wall. He replayed the party over and over inside his head. Too much had happened. It was his first day here, and he was wounded in thick ropes of friendship. Not that he appreciated it. But words repeated inside his head. Words that he heard every day.</p>
<p>Newt closed his eyes and winced, as pain crawled up his arm.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter skips forward to Halloween. Most of it takes place at Minho's party. This is the first bit that goes into Newt's past. It's short, but I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is wonderful, Newt.”</p><p>Ms. Harriet smiled, eyes scouring the sketch of the wolf. “Full marks. I expect this much high quality from your next project.”</p><p>“Yes, M’am.” Newt could feel a wide grin spreading across his face as he made his way back to Aris. “I don’t think she’s ever given anyone full marks without any advice.” He held his hand up for a high five. “I can tell she judges hard,” Newt said, nodding.</p><p>“You should do oil paintings with me!” Aris suggested. “Sorry, but I want to try something first….”</p><p> </p><p>“Who the hell are you?” Minho's voice was at least an octave higher as he opened the door. “Trick or treat, Minho.” He laughed at the familiar British accent. “God Newt, where’d you get that?”</p><p>“I made it.” Newt removed his mask; painted yellow, red, and black, the half-smiling, half-crying face radiated with creepiness and fear.</p><p>“You’re probably the best dressed,” Minho said, leading him through to the kitchen, where Fry was cooking with a pirate hook. “Ay, matey.” He said, raising his head. “Classic pirate, what d’ya think?”</p><p>“Looks great!” Newt called as he followed Minho into the living room, which was already crowded. “Newt!” Teresa bobbed her head as she shoved her way through the mass of people and stood in front of him.</p><p>“Hey, Teresa.”</p><p>“You dare call me Teresa? I, the Queen of the Snow Lions? I shall have you devoured by my trusted subjects!” She waved around a fake dagger and bared her teeth.</p><p>“Oh, so scary.” Newt teased, placing his mask on. “And you dare taunt the joker? Would you like to be caught in my biggest stunts of death?”</p><p>“Oh, I surrender!” Teresa said, putting her hands up. “Seriously, that thing’s scary!”</p><p>“Quit your flirting, Teresa.” A blond girl sidled up to her, wearing a pair of silver wings and a golden crown atop her head. Teresa smiled. “This is my stepsister Sonya. She’s Gally’s twin. Doesn’t look like it, doesn’t she?” But Newt wasn’t listening. His ears were ringing. This is Sonya, he thought. But still, the words came.</p><p>
  <em>“I am so sorry, Newton. This is not your fault.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>This is Sonya. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Please. We can’t do this, we’ll get caught.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>This is Sonya. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s still too early for you to give up, Newton. We still have five years.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>This is Sonya. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s me, Newton. Remember?” </em>
</p><p>“No,” he whispered. “No. No. No.”</p><p>“Newt?” He snapped back to reality. Teresa stood in front of him, Sonya peering around her shoulder. He realized that he had said the words out loud a moment too late. “What happened? Are you okay?”</p><p>“Is it me? Did I say something?” Sonya said, voice laced with worry.</p><p>
  <em>Is it me, Newton? Is that why you did it?</em>
</p><p>“I’m sorry, it’s nothing.” Newt tried to hide his shaking legs, failing miserably. “I’m going to get a drink.” He stumbled into the mass of people, ignoring the voices calling him back.</p><p> </p><p>Teresa found Newt sitting on the stairs leading to Minho’s second floor. It always impressed her, how big Minho’s house was. She knew it was his uncle’s house, but still, he was living here. She often thought about the small apartment next to Gally and Sonya, how it seemed like a shabby hut compared to this. She sat down next to Newt, who was leaning against the wall with a drink in hand, eyes glassy. Teresa didn’t talk; she just sat on the step one below, sipping from her glass.</p><p>Newt took a deep breath. “Sorry. I hope I didn’t offend her.”</p><p>“If she can handle Gally 24/7, she’ll be fine.” She was glad that Newt had spoken first, afraid of what she might say if she’d spoken first. “What happened? Did Sonya do something? Offend you or―”</p><p>“It’s nothing,” Newt interrupted, rubbing his eyes. “Just homesick. Haven’t seen my sister for a long time. And Sonya looks so much like her……”</p><p>“What was her name?” She felt stupid the moment the words exited her mouth.</p><p>“Elizabeth. Lizzy. She’s two years older than me.” “Where is she?” “I---I don’t know. She left for college four years ago and haven’t seen her since. Apparently she transferred last year.” He sniffled and closed his eyes. “I shouldn’t be crying. It’s nothing too major.”</p><p>“Oh, Newt.” Teresa wrapped her arm around Newt’s shoulder and he leaned in, resting his head lightly on top of hers. “It’s okay. We’re all sensitive in different parts. You can cry.”</p><p>“It’s fine. It’s fine.; It’s fine.” Newt repeated, but he grabbed Teresa’s open hand, squeezing hard.</p><p>“What are you two doing!?” Rachel shrieked from the top of the stairs. Newt and Teresa jumped back. Newt spilled his drink in the process, getting his shoes wet. Teresa exclaimed, “Rachel! How long have you been up there?”</p><p>“Um, for like the past half an hour.” Rachel said. “Minho lets me have a room here.”</p><p>“And why does he allow you when he won’t let Tom or me into the guest room?”</p><p>“I’m special. And anyway…..” Her eyes darted between her and Newt. “What the hell were you doing?”</p><p>“I had some uh...breathing problems,” Newt mumbled, adding a few fake coughs. “All the alcohol and people. A little too much for me.”</p><p>“Oh.” Rachel seemed to believe him. Or she was already drunk. “Be careful. Teresa here can be a little clingy sometimes.” Teresa threw her sunglasses at her, and Rachel ducked away, heading into her room. “Sorry,” Teresa said to Newt. “You didn’t have to lie.”</p><p>Newt shrugged. “I’m not weak. I don’t need people to think I’m weak.”</p><p>“No one will judge you here, Newt.” Newt’s eyes were slits as he studied Teresa. “You never know,” he whispered. “You never know what’s inside people’s heads.” Then like summer rain, the look was gone. “I’m fine. I get to see them next month anyways.”</p><p>“Do you want to go back?” Teresa asked worriedly. She couldn’t believe the words that had come out of Newt’s mouth seconds ago.”</p><p>Newt shook his head. “I think I want to go home now. Tell everyone that I spilled my drink on myself and didn’t want to look like I peed myself.” He slung his jacket over his shoulder and stood up, and quietly stalked down the hallway towards the front.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sorry for the long wait! I've been really lazy. But that's no excuse. This chapter is longer than the others (I think), and it's basically a filler chapter. Nothing very big happens. The few chapters with happy Newt. Please enjoy!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He tried to avoid Sonya.</p>
<p>It was easy, since she seemed to be avoiding him too. Teresa, luckily, must’ve told everyone that he spilled his drink, and no one was fazed with his disappearance. Minho, being the joker he was, kept calling him “party peeper”, and Newt ended up asking Brenda to slug him a few times. He continued to get full marks for all his projects in art class, making Aris convinced that he was bribing Ms. Harriet with something. Thomas dragged him to a few parties and ended up hiding under the stairs for two hours from fear that Minho would break his skull with a pogo stick. He had pretty much forgotten about the Halloween party, until one day Teresa sidled up to him in the school gardens.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you leaving in a week?”</p>
<p>“Oh―yeah.” He stammered. “I’m leaving for London.”</p>
<p>“I’ve never been there.” Teresa said, “even though my father’s side is from there.”</p>
<p>“I know what you mean. My ancestors are originally from France, but I’ve never been there.”</p>
<p>“You seem to be talking about a much larger span of time.”</p>
<p>“I am.” Newt chuckled. Teresa lightly smacked him on the shoulder. “I want a lot of pictures. And Minho would kill you without souvenirs.” She laughed, and skipped away when Thomas called her.</p>
<p>Newt’s smile fell. It wasn’t the words, it wasn’t Teresa. It was the things inside his head that dropped his happiness.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“These are pretty good!”</p>
<p>“Where did you take this one?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’ve always wanted to go to that store!”</p>
<p>They had all gathered in Minho’s apartment, looking at all the pictures Newt took and printed while munching on cookies he had brought as a souvenir.</p>
<p>“Are these your parents?” Aris asked, holding up a picture with two blondes sitting next to a table loaded with food. “Yeah,” Newt mumbled, “turns out I only took one picture of my parents.”</p>
<p>“Who needs parents when you’ve got a whole city to explore?”</p>
<p>“Someone who’s broke and needs a place to stay. Did you know that they kept all my legos?” This brought laughter to everyone. “Your parents are pretty young,” Brenda said, eyeing the picture. “How old are they?”</p>
<p>“43,” Newt said, a little hesitantly. “I dunno. Somewhere around there.”</p>
<p>“They look younger than that.” Newt tensed. “Plastic surgery.” He mumbled. “It’s pretty common in England right now, especially my parents' generation.”</p>
<p>“Interesting,” Aris said, his left hand rubbing his chin, something he always did when he was focused. “Is this like the fashion trends in the US? This sounds more serious than the clothes here, but I guess fashion trends are different across the ocean…..”</p>
<p>“Shut up, Art Major, you ain’t smarter than me.” Minho guffawed.</p>
<p>“Remember that time I got an honor roll and you didn’t?” Aris whispered, giggling when Minho’s face turned red. “It was last year, when―”</p>
<p>“Shuck it.” Minho lightly punched Aris on the arm, but with his power, he sent him flying into Newt. The pictures on his lap spilled forward, exposing one particular picture. “Hey! Is that Lizzy?” Teresa said, scooping up the picture before Newt could snag it. “Yeah, it is.”</p>
<p>“But you said you didn’t know where she was!”</p>
<p>“That’s because the photo's from 6 years ago. Before she left for college.”</p>
<p>“Aww, 16 year old Newtie. He’s so cute!” “He looks like an 8 year old!”</p>
<p>“Alright, I think you’ve teased my face long enough,” Newt grumbled, pulled the picture out of Teresa’s hands, and mixed it with the other photos, which he slid into his jacket. “Speaking of faces,” he said. “Aris showed me a picture of young Thomas the other day…”</p>
<p>“ARIS!” Thomas yelled. “Did you show him that picture?”</p>
<p>“No, I showed him the other picture.” Aris snickered. “You’re so dead.” Aris stopped snickering and bolted, Thomas close on his heels, “Don’t trash my house!” Minho yelled as Thomas knocked over a plastic jar, spilling jolly ranchers across the floor. The only response was a shriek from Aris and a sound suspiciously like someone tumbling down a set of stairs.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t so bad, that picture,” Newt said to Minho, remembering the photo of toddler Thomas sitting on a lawn chair with a fearful expression. “Oh, if you look closely,” Minho said lazily, “you can see that he’d just peed his pants.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Newt, you live too far away,” Thomas noted one day during lunch. Thomas, Teresa, Aris, and Newt sat in a cafe close to campus. “Huh?” Newt said, nibbling on his sandwich. “I mean, most of us live in the vicinity of Minho’s house. And then there’s you, who’s on the other side of town! It’s literally a half an hour walk there!”</p>
<p>“He’s right,” Aris said, “you need to get closer. It’ll be easier to meet each other.”</p>
<p>“That apartment looked really old, anyways,” Teresa added.</p>
<p>“I’m fine there, really,” Newt said. “The rent’s pretty cheap, so I have extra money for art supplies. And it’s quieter in that part of town.”</p>
<p>“But it’s so far!” Teresa moaned. “And there’s an apartment right next to Gally’s that’s open, you can move there!”</p>
<p>“Um, I think I want to live a little more distance away from Gally.”</p>
<p>“Great, I’ll tell him that.”</p>
<p>“Heck no!” Teresa laughed and Newt stole and took a sip of Teresa’s sweet tea. She growled and took the last bite of his sandwich.</p>
<p>“You two are cute together.” Thomas giggled with teasing eyes. Both Newt and Teresa threw what they had in their hand at Thomas, which happened to be a plastic lid and a piece of cucumber.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“You must work harder, Newton.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bzz. Bzz. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Fast and quiet. They are the key to work efficiently.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bzz. Bzz. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Your time is almost up, Newton.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>No, please give me more time― </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bzz. Bzz. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s too late, Newton. In our world, you cannot decide the time.” </em>
</p>
<p>Newt bolted up from his bed and stared at the wall. It was only a dream, his mind screamed. Yet the images crisscrossed in front of his eyelids. He flinched as his phone buzzed, illuminating his room. He picked it up staring at the screen.</p>
<p>
  <em>Teresa: Newt! Fireworks! </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Teresa: The college is releasing fireworks at one a.m. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Teresa: NEWT!! Wake up you sleepyhead </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Teresa: I swear I will yell at you nonstop if you don’t come </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Teresa: NEWT </em>
</p>
<p>He sighed. He did not want to be sleep-deprived for something as mere as fireworks. But he did not need to get humiliated in front of the school while Teresa yelled at him in front of the whole school about burning his hair off. He sighed again, groaning and swinging his legs over the side of the comfy bed. He pulled on a less-crumpled shirt and walked out the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought you weren’t going to come,” Teresa said as Newt climbed onto the roof of Minho’s house. “I didn’t need you screaming your head off at me tomorrow morning.” He countered. “Where are the others?”</p>
<p>“Asleep. Minho’s drunk again, Gally and Sonya left early, Aris is with Thomas, and Brenda’s not coming today.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Why didn’t you invite me earlier?”</p>
<p>“I guess you forgot that you were the one who rejected our affection for extra study time, didn’t you?” Newt flushed, and Teresa laughed. “Did your brain burst from all the studying? Are you going to―”</p>
<p>The first set of fireworks erupted in the sky interrupting Teresa. Yellow and green illuminated the sky, slowing fading, but not before being replaced by sparks of blue. Newt watched in awe, and Teresa’s eyes softened as it got lost in the glowing night sky. The next half hour was filled with more fireworks, the faint pop! of it exploding from the University rooftop and the boom! As it exploded. The explosions slowly began to take clear shape; a heart, building, multiples of emojis. “Here’s the final,” Teresa whispered. Suddenly a huge outbreak of fireworks filled the sky. Different shades of colors lit up the whole town. Sparks fell like shattered glass, leaving one clear message written in red.</p>
<p>
  <em>Denver State University. </em>
</p>
<p>Teresa, in one swift motion, leaned in and quickly pecked Newt on the cheek. Newt gulped and turned, studying Teresa’s face. “What?” She giggled. “It’s tradition.” “I’ve never heard of a tradition like that.” He tried to scowl, but a grin was creeping on his face. “See, you liked it,” Teresa said. “You’re happy.”</p>
<p>And for those moments, he was. Happy.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Staying at home might be messing with my brain. Aaaahh. This chapter's a little weird. Somewhat filler chapter, somewhat important chapter. Please enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What the hell? What did you do?” Newt grinned as his friends stared at the interior of his apartment. The place was old but Newt certainly wasn’t. He had customized the whole room, making it look more modern.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t like this when I came last time!” Thomas exclaimed. “Were you really studying when you said you were?”</p>
<p>“.......Maybe.”</p>
<p>“Newt! You missed that epic party!”</p>
<p>“But parties aren’t my thing.”</p>
<p>“But―”</p>
<p>“What’s in here?” Aris said, knocking on a door.</p>
<p>“That’s my room,” Newt said. “You can go in if you want.”</p>
<p>Aris poked his head in. “Whoa.”</p>
<p>“What is it? Is it all pink and fluffy?”</p>
<p>“It’s not. I wouldn’t even know it belonged to you if it was pink and fluffy.”</p>
<p>“But I’d go in anyway.” Minho pushed in, Teresa in tow. “Whoa.”</p>
<p>Newt’s bedroom was decorated in shades of greys. The walls were a swirl of grey, blue, and purple, oddly calming. The dark blue sheets were tucked in neatly, and the shaggy rug wrapped around everyone’s feet. The dark oak table was stacked with books, a computer placed in the middle. Two of the three shelves were packed with books, the other one with art supplies. The window overlooked the busy street. Art projects hung from the walls.</p>
<p>“Nice to see you surprised,” Newt smirked as his four friends gaped from the open doorway.</p>
<p>“Is this why you didn’t let me in last time?” Thomas asked. Newt nodded. “Didn’t want you to see it unfinished. Wouldn’t be satisfying.”</p>
<p>“You made all this?” Teresa said, eyeing the painting of a black hole placed above the shelves. “It’s beautiful.”</p>
<p>“So many good books too,” Thomas said. “The Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, Hobbit, Game of Thrones―hey, what’s this?” Newt dove across the room and snatched the book out of Thomas’ hands, leaving him bewildered. “Sorry, that’s my sketchbook. It’s really chaotic in there, you’ll get overwhelmed. It overwhelms me sometimes.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Sorry.” Thomas mumbled, and quickly wiped his thumb with his shirt. Blood red ink was smeared across his hand where he had touched the first page.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh my god Sonya, you dyed your hair!” Everyone looked up as Teresa and Sonya sashayed into Minho’s living room. Sonya’s blonde hair was now a vibrant shade of ginger.</p>
<p>“Does it look good?” Sonya said, concern flickering on her face as she flicked a loose hair away. “I was trying to make it look like Ginny Weasley.”</p>
<p>“It looks really cool,” Aris said, “but I think the Weasleys have more orange hair.”</p>
<p>“I thought about it, but I like this color better.” She turned to Teresa. “Sorry if we were yelling yesterday, but Gally didn’t agree with me about dyeing my hair. I did it anyways.” Teresa’s face clouded. “It’s fine.”</p>
<p>Somehow Newt didn’t believe her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Newt.” He was in the kitchen. He and Fry were cooking for the whole lot. Fry had just left to buy more eggs. He jerked as Sonya entered the kitchen. “Any trouble?”</p>
<p>“I want to talk.”</p>
<p>She grabbed a cutting board and began slicing carrots. Neither of them talked. The boiling pot bubbled. And two knives hit against the cutting boards. “I want to know why you hate me.”</p>
<p>“I don’t hate you.”</p>
<p>She quietly snorted. “You ran away when we first met. You’ve been avoiding me. You came over here to help Fry after I came. There’s no way you like me.”</p>
<p>“Of course I like you. It’s just…” He cleared his throat. “You look like Lizzy.”</p>
<p>“So? There's seven others in the world who look like you. It’s not a surprise I look like your sister.”</p>
<p>“Well, there’s a bit of a back story there,” Newt whispered. “Lizzy...she wanted to go to this college. A designer school, in New York. But my parents, they didn’t want her to go. They wanted her to go into accounting. I still remember them saying ‘it’s nice to have a dream honey, but you’re 18. You need to get into reality.’ So she left. Left London and went to that school. Cut us all off. I looked for her. I asked all her friends and browsed the net. No sign of her. So I knew I had to come here. I got myself a scholarship to art school and jumped across the ocean. I went to her designer school and asked the people. They said no one named Elizabeth enrolled two years ago. Either she changed her name or she didn’t go there.” He sniffled. “I looked at all the schools across the state. Nothing. So I gave up. And I came here.” He looked at Sonya. “You’re two years older. You’ve got blond hair. You’ve got brown eyes. I’m sorry I ran away when we first met, you look exactly the same, and for a second, I thought….”</p>
<p>“I wish you would’ve told me sooner,” Sonya said quietly.</p>
<p>“I should’ve,” Newt said, wiping away tears and straightening up and taking deep breaths. “Look, if you want to talk about it―”</p>
<p>
  <em> You can talk to me, Newton. </em>
</p>
<p>“We’re all here for you―”</p>
<p>
  <em>I’ll always be here. </em>
</p>
<p>“Liar.” Both Newt and Sonya looked surprised. Newt took a step away from her. Meanwhile, Sonya took a step towards him. “Newt, you’re hiding something.”</p>
<p>He let out a weak laugh. “I’m fine.”</p>
<p>“You’re not.”</p>
<p>“How do you know?”</p>
<p>“You think you’re a good liar, don’t you? I can see in your eyes.” She took another step towards him. “We’re here, you know that?”</p>
<p>“I’m okay,” Newt said, not meeting her eyes. “Newt―”</p>
<p>“I’m fine!” His hand shot out and lightly swatted Sonya’s hand away. His hand, as he was bringing it up, smacked the side of the cutting board and launched up the potatoes and knife. He watched in horror as the knife fell―</p>
<p>―and stabbed into Sonya’s foot.</p>
<p> </p>
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